Pro Bowl television ratings have trumped other professional league's all-star games with a viewership of around 12 million the past two years. Still, the quality of the game left much to be desired.

In 2012, arguably the best player in the league, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, expressed his disappointment in the fact his fellow Pro Bowlers didn’t put in all-star worthy efforts. Even commissioner Roger Goddell said despite improvement in 2013, the game was on “life support.”

The NFL and its players, agreeing to radical changes in the Pro Bowl format, are trying to breathe new life into the annual all-star game. Whether it's just a stopgap measure remains to be seen.

The league and the NFLPA announced Wednesday that the AFC-NFC format of the past three decades has been scrapped in favor of showcasing the best players, regardless of conference.

The two 43-man rosters for the game also will now be drafted—by a unique pair of "front offices". The two Pro Bowlers receiving the most votes from coaches, players and fans will serve as team captains. Each team captain will be assisted by an NFL.com fantasy champion and a Hall of Fame alumni captain, either Jerry Rice or Deion Sanders.

The new-look Pro Bowl will kick off in 2014 with the Jan. 26 game in Honolulu, a week before Super Bowl XLVIII in New York/New Jersey. The player draft, featuring Rice and Sanders, will occur just four days before, on Jan. 22. It doesn't change the fact players involved in the Super Bowl will not be able to participate in the Pro Bowl.

All of that is the vision of NFLPA president Domonique Foxworth, a former cornerback, based on input from current players who "wanted to keep the Pro Bowl to honor excellence in individual performance and connect with the fans in a different environment."

When presented with Foxworth's ideas, Goodell said the NFL was "very receptive" and the league worked with him in "developing the concept."

"The players made it clear that they wanted to continue the Pro Bowl and were committed to making it better than ever. We think these changes will enhance the game for both fans and players."

Given the alternative was getting rid of the game all together, it was worth the league's latest experiment to make it more interesting, if not more relevant. Once the teams are selected, the Pro Bowl also will have a different feel on the field.

The most intriguing tinkering involves the elimination of kickoffs. The ball will be placed at the 25-yard-line at the start of each quarter and after all scoring plays. As the NFL also works to make football safer in regard to head injuries, the Pro Bowl would provide some evidence as to how a kickoff-free game would affect the flow of the game. It's something that could be adapted to regular-season and playoff games in the near future.

Here's a breakdown of the other adjustments:

Game within the game: Instead of two-minute warnings occurring twice at the end of both halves, they will happen at the end of all four quarters, with a change of possession for the following quarter. The idea is to see the league's best quarterbacks at work in more exciting two-minute drills. When in those drills, the clock will stop on no-gain plays as well as incomplete passes and runs to the sideline.

No kickoff return specialist: No kickoffs and a setup for more passing will mean a defensive back gets this roster spot instead.

Cover 2 and press coverage are allowed: Now defenses can get more creative with their secondaries, a departure from the consistent man coverage.

The play clock: The game will speed up from the usual 40 and 25 seconds between plays to 35 and 25 seconds.

Sacks and clock stoppage: Only sacks that happen in the final two minutes will cause the game clock to stop.